E110 Bandit opinions
 

A few of us at our company just got endorsed on the new company Bandierante. Seems a great machine, just wondering what other past/present pilots thought of them, as there isn't a lot of them around these days.

flew 'em 'bout 17 years ago when they first hit the states, stable machine, bit under-powered on a hot-n-high day, enjoyed it though, but your feet freeze when you put the gear out on a cold day...over all a thumbs up to the bandit!:) :) :)

The Bandit is a good honest reliable aircraft, but as an 18 seater they make a good 15 seater. They are a little underpowered and the aircon is not the best on the ground.It was my first turbine and I found it fun and easy to fly (just a big PA31). The GA company I worked for started with 1 in 1997 and at its peak had 4, including VH-BWC (the aircraft I think your company now has).
We pushed the Bandit to it's limit operating flights all around Australia, including night freight in VH-BWC from Syd- HBA 4 nights a week. For the 3 years I was flying the Bandit for this company, the Bandit only let us down a few times. The cabin is a good size (and pax prefer it to the Metro 2). The aircaft is ideal for sector lengths of 1 1/2 hours (about 300nm).
VH-BWC is the most notorius Bandit in OZ and has a very colourful history. It was a little faster than most, but it was also the one that cost the most to maintain. At one stage the aircraft was full of corrosion.
Same again, I give the Bandit the thumbs up!

I agree with you F111. The Bandit would have made the perfect aeroplane if they had bigger donks and maybe a pressurised cabin.

They are really only good for 15 pax though, and anything less than that and they are near ideal! With 18 pax the aisle is far too narrow and there is no leg room (not to mention no range < 200nm). They have one of the biggest cabins in their class and the pointy end is much roomier than D228, SA227 and 1900 etc...

Bandits have simple systems and they're a very easy aircraft to manage single pilot. Watch that noseleg and take corners slowly... not the best rack and pinion system in them.

One of my first turbine jobs was flying Bandits up around Darwin - not the best place for them with the heat but you'll enjoy in anyhow. Like F111 said the aircon won't work wonders on the ground but it'll throw ice at you in the air!

If I had to fly any aeroplane all over again, I would pick the time I spent in a Bandit - and I have never met anybody that wouldn't. Once you get a bit of time up give Tr@nstate, Sunshine Express or Airlines of SA a call who all still use it for RPT.

Isn't BWC the one that was owned by the Marlboro Man?

A big thumbs up from me too!

Yes you are correct, our Bandit is VH-BWC. And the air con is pretty useless on the ground, but didn't think it was in anyway underpowered compared to any previous aircraft I have flown. But then again I had previously flown only pistons apart from twotters.

Absolutely love the Bandit!!!!

Wish I was back in one .
Only got around the 150 hr mark on them , but I wish I had more.

Maybe an upgrade to the P&W dash 40's? ,or ,****** it make it the 67's.....
BTW Hows the Longster going??????????

Are they on the 14 minute Bathurst Island sector?

The AFANT is always looking for new equipment for artificial reefs that would go nicely with Nomads.....

Well, I have been reading prune for about 14 months now and this is only the second time I have felt the urge to post a reply.

I have flown some of the most sophisticated aircraft in corporate aviation and have a considerable amount of jet time.

The Bandit is simply the best turbo prop ever built, it is the only propellor aircraft that I LOVE to get back into at any opportunity.

It started my career and I have a real soft spot I will admit, but pound for pound it is the most honest reliable and fun aircraft you will ever operate.

All I can say is ENJOY, ENJOY, ENJOY.

And anyone who argues with this has lost their way and forgotten from whence they came, have fun.

:)

Got a few hundred hours in them and would agree with most opinions so far - even the ice from the air vents in the tropics.

I found the cockpit a bit industrial, indicator lights screwed on raised brackets rather than drill another hole, and the cabin partitions reminded me of a caravan - no, not that Cessna one ... the caravan behind old FJ in the slow lane. Those may have been traits from some bad examples of the well-used Bandits I flew though. A refurbish would fix these minor gripes.

Only memorable annoying feature is the multi-pane windshield providing a slightly different horizon in each pane due refraction or something. Scanning properly meant your eyes followed a square wave. Anyone who's flown pressurised aircraft before getting in their first Bandit will miss weather beating climb, cruise and descent profiles, but if not then you'll find it a delight to fly.

They aren't waterproof. It gets very wet in the cockpit when you fly through bad weather/rain showers.

Hard to get the hang of having to feather in the taxi to slow yourself down. Beta range is a very noisy alternative.

Unfortunately, BWC is a piece of sh!te.

Otherwise a good first turbine.

Looks like this could be the right place to chase some info on the Bandit. Could someone please point me in the right direction to obtain some info on the Bandit. i am after basic operating info such as cruise fuel flows, fuel cap, weights, Tas etc. Help would be much appreciated.

Well seeing as I just did my command endorsement, and started this topic, I will try to answer your queries.
VH-BWC BOW with 2 crew 18 pax seats =3877 KGs.
MTOW 5700.
MLW 5700.
MZFW 5450.
Plan FF 600 lbs per hr.
Fuel cap 1692 useable litres. (1720 total)
Plan 190 kts TAS, but average between 200 - 210 at 10,000.
Hope this helps.

G. A Boy,

Has BWC still got that pyschadellic marine paint job???

No. It is owned by Airtex, and it is painted in their colours. ie. white with grey and blue accents. Don't think pic worked.
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Hate to be the odd man out here, but I thought the Bandit was only so-so as an aeroplane. Speed was good, and you could land it anywhere you would take a 402, but not nearly as nice to fly as a Twin Otter, especially hauling freight around PNG. The ailerons were very heavy, and the airframe was definitely built to a price (popped rivets and lose gear-doors a recurring problem), and until we devised a mod for the forward avionics bay, a flight through heavy precipitation always brought the flags up on the avionics. Big pitch change during flap selection, and after a while we discovered that taxiing with RH engine in feather (to regulate taxi speed) caused melting of adjacent cabin window. I'd prefer a 185 any day.

I have flown both and I much rather prefer the E110.

The extra speed is a real bonus but yet as you said, you can still put it in any field you can put a C402 in.

The E110 handles better is much easier to land (esp. with Flap).

The E110 also has a better more organised cockpit layout.

For instance, the E110 has 2 well laid Circuit breaker panels compared to the DHC6 which had circuit breakers all over the place - like over and behind your head where you just cannot see them.

The aircraft systems (fuel/hydraulics/electrics etc...) are much easier to understand / more logical.

The avionics in the DHC6 I flew were scattered all over the place compared to the E110 where they are all together in a neat column on the panel.

The DHC6 I flew did not even have a full copilots panel - No HSI, No ILS, No heading bug, No Turn co-ordinator and one of them didnt even have a VSI.

The electrical switches in the DHC6 were also scattered all over the place amongst a few different panels and the off/on postion was different for each switch so you couldnt just glance up and know if they were off/on straight away.

The E110 is easier to start (dont have to hold the start switch) and there is only 1 basic Phase 1 check to remember compared to a few in the DHC6.

The DHC has a huge cumbersome Y-shaped control column which conviently gets in the way and the power levers are in an unorthodox position in the roof which takes time to get used to. (why did they have to make it so different ??).

The E110 has one convenient cargo area therefore you don't have to worry about how you divide the cargo amongst the different cargo compartments.

In regards to flap causing pitch changes, the pitch changes with flap were just as bad in the DHC6.

In regards to the right engine melting the right windows, this only leaves questions to be asked about your training (lack off) as this should have been covered and has never happened to us.

The DHC6 I flew had no air con - I am sure the passengers will love this.

The DHC6 was so sophiscated that we couldnt even fly IFR due lack of a GPWS.

We never experienced any of the airframe problems you mentioned.

I still enjoyed flying the DHC6 but I much rather fly an E110 anyday.

Got about 1300 hrs on the bandit, an absolutely marvellous aircraft. Worked on BWC aswell. Didnt like it as much as some of the others but never the less I always enjoyed flying them. Around Oz tours were some of the best flying I am ever likely to do.
By the way. I thaught it was a well known fact that if you left the props Fx' then the windows melted, You must have missed that bit of info during your endorsement.
Block flight planning at 200 kts @ 600lb/hr. Its a breeze to plan on the go.
Love to be back there doing it still. RPT sucks!!!
Those were fun times eh F111, we saw a lot of the country.